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The digitalisation of service work: A comparative study of restructuring of the banking sector in the United Kingdom and Luxembourg

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  • Andreas Kornelakis
  • Vassil Kirov
  • Patrick Thill

Abstract

The article compares the process of digitalisation and outcomes from work restructuring in two banks from the United Kingdom and Luxembourg. The banking sectors in both countries have been challenged by digitalisation pressures such as online and mobile banking, pressures from ‘Fintech’ banks, and the automation of back-office operations. Yet, the adjustment paths in the two countries differed. In Luxembourg, there is an adjustment via limited lay-offs, and increased training and reskilling; however, in the United Kingdom, the main outcomes revolve around branch downsizing and offshoring of employment. These outcomes are explained by differences in institutional supports for collective voice institutions, as well as the role of the state. The findings demonstrate that the embedded employment relations’ institutions and actors have shaped distinct paths of adjustment to digitalisation; and show how the impact of technology on work is neither deterministic nor unidirectional.

Suggested Citation

  • Andreas Kornelakis & Vassil Kirov & Patrick Thill, 2022. "The digitalisation of service work: A comparative study of restructuring of the banking sector in the United Kingdom and Luxembourg," European Journal of Industrial Relations, , vol. 28(3), pages 253-272, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:eurjou:v:28:y:2022:i:3:p:253-272
    DOI: 10.1177/09596801211056829
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Vassil Kirov, 2023. "Decent, Inclusive, and Green? Mission Impossible?," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-13, July.
    2. Ryan A Morgan & Ward van Zoonen & Claartje ter Hoeven, 2023. "Lost in the crowd? An investigation into where microwork is conducted and classifying worker types," European Journal of Industrial Relations, , vol. 29(3), pages 301-322, September.
    3. Caroline Lloyd & Jonathan Payne, 2023. "Trade unions, digitalisation and country effects: A comparative study of banking in Norway and the UK," European Journal of Industrial Relations, , vol. 29(4), pages 325-345, December.
    4. Jonathan Payne & Caroline Lloyd & Secki P. Jose, 2023. "‘They tell us after they've decided things’: A cross‐country analysis of unions and digitalisation in retail," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(1), pages 3-19, January.
    5. Janine Berg & Francis Green & Laura Nurski & David A Spencer, 2023. "Risks to job quality from digital technologies: Are industrial relations in Europe ready for the challenge?," European Journal of Industrial Relations, , vol. 29(4), pages 347-365, December.
    6. Vladimir Obradović & Ivana Kovačević & Ivana Kužet & Mateja Manojlović, 2024. "The Sustainability of Reskilling Projects Based on Employees’ Readiness for a Career Shift: Pursuing Sustainable Careers by Transitioning into IT Professions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(2), pages 1-18, January.

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